Current revision as of 11:04, 25 October 2011

Contents

Passwords

Changing Your Password

You may change your password at any time using the 'passwd' command in your login shell. You will be prompted to enter your old password then to enter your new one, twice. See the passwd man page by typing: man passwd at the command line. Also see below for guidance on how to choose intelligent passwords. If you forget your password, you will need to see the System Adminisrator.

About Good Passwords

Stanford on Passwords

See what Stanford University IT Services says here in the section: "Creating better passwords."

The 'passwd' man page

Remember the following two principles
Protect your password.
Don’t write down your password - memorize it. In particular,
don’t write it down and leave it anywhere, and don’t place it in
an unencrypted file! Use unrelated passwords for systems con-
trolled by different organizations. Don’t give or share your
password, in particular to someone claiming to be from computer
support or a vendor. Don’t let anyone watch you enter your
password. Don’t enter your password to a computer you don’t
trust or if things Use the password for a limited time and
change it periodically.
Choose a hard-to-guess password.
passwd will try to prevent you from choosing a really bad pass-
word, but it isn’t foolproof; create your password wisely.
Don’t use something you’d find in a dictionary (in any language
or jargon). Don’t use a name (including that of a spouse, par-
ent, child, pet, fantasy character, famous person, and location)
or any variation of your personal or account name. Don’t use
accessible information about you (such as your phone number,
license plate, or social security number) or your environment.
Don’t use a birthday or a simple pattern (such as backwards,
followed by a digit, or preceded by a digit. Instead, use a mix-
ture of upper and lower case letters, as well as digits or punc-
tuation. When choosing a new password, make sure it’s unrelated
to any previous password. Use long passwords (say 8 characters
long). You might use a word pair with punctuation inserted, a
passphrase (an understandable sequence of words), or the first
letter of each word in a passphrase.
These principles are partially enforced by the system, but only partly
so. Vigilence on your part will make the system much more secure.